1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a Graphical User Interface (GUI) in which embedded hyperlinks are introduced in help message dialog boxes. The hyperlinks associate message contents in the help message dialog box with related display controls in the GUI, so that when a specific message is selected, the GUI automatically identifies an appropriate properties tab and display the related control(s).
2. Discussion of the Background
Generally, an auxiliary device (such as a printer, scanner, etc.) provides a user with multiple options to meet specific demands, and includes a GUI to provide a convenient way for the user to access and control the auxiliary device.
For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a GUI for controlling a printer. The GUI includes a printer properties dialog 10 having tabs 9. The tabs 9 include, for example, a Setup tab 12 having several display controls, such as a Duplex/Booklet display control 16 and a Staple display control 14. Thus, using the Duplex/Booklet display control 16 and the Staple display control 14, a user may xe2x80x9cset upxe2x80x9d a print job to include xe2x80x9cSide Bindingxe2x80x9d and a xe2x80x9cLeft Slantxe2x80x9d staple (for example, see the setup display region 5 which illustrates these features). Also shown are an OK push button 18, Cancel push button 20, Apply push button 22, and Help push button 24. The purpose of these push buttons are generally well-known and a description will therefore be omitted.
In addition, interdependencies generally exist among different display controls, which make certain display controls become unavailable to a user under certain conditions. For example, as shown in FIG. 2a, if the Duplex/Booklet display control 16 is set to xe2x80x9cBooklet Printingxe2x80x9d rather than xe2x80x9cSide Binding,xe2x80x9d the Staple display control 14 becomes unavailable to the user, because the use of a staple is not compatible with booklet printing. To communicate this to the user, the respective display control is deactivated (for example, see the Staple display control 14 in FIG. 2a). A help icon 26 (which may be displayed as a balloon-shaped help sign) is also displayed near the deactivated display control. Thus, the user may select the help icon 26 to retrieve information about the deactivated Staple display control 14.
FIG. 2b illustrates a help message dialog box 30, which is displayed when the help icon 26 is selected. The help message dialog box 30 includes help information 34 explaining why the Staple display control 14 is deactivated. Thus, by referring to the help information 34, the user may realize the staple display control 14 is deactivated because the Duplex/Booklet display control 16 was changed from xe2x80x9cSide Bindingxe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9cBooklet Printing,xe2x80x9d for example. That is, item four in the help information 34 states that the staple is available when booklet printing is not selected. Thus, the user may change the Duplex/Booklet display control 16 back to xe2x80x9cSide Bindingxe2x80x9d and then configure the Staple display control 14. The user may then close the help message dialog box 30 by selecting the OK push button 36 or Cancel push button 38.
In some instances, a user""s selection of a display control in one GUI tab may deactivate a display control in another GUI tab. For example, item three of the help information 34 indicates the staple feature is available when the bypass tray is not selected as an input tray in the Paper tab 13 (see FIG. 2a). The user may then select the Paper tab 13 and determine if the bypass tray has been selected.
This is a very tedious operation and requires several steps, and the user is required to have a general knowledge of the different tabs associated with a printer properties dialog. Further, the user is prevented from selecting another tab of the printer properties dialog 10 until the help message dialog box 30 is closed (e.g., by selecting the OK push button 36 or Cancel push button 38). Thus, many situations occur in which the user closes the help message dialog box 30, selects another tab (Such as the Paper tab 13), but forgets which display control in the Paper tab 13 was identified in the help information 34 (e.g., bypass tray). In addition, there may be more than one reason why the staple display control 14 is deactivated (such as items one through four shown in the help information 34). Therefore, a user may have to repeat the above steps several times to accurately determine all of the reasons why the staple display control is deactivated.
In summary, the user is required to perform at least the following steps to determine why a particular display control is deactivated: 1) select the help icon 26 to display the help message dialog box 30; 2) determine from the help information 34 where the related display control is located in the multiple printer driver tabs; 3) select the OK push button 36 or Cancel push button 38 to close the help message dialog box 30; 4) select the identified tab, check the value of the related display control and make changes if needed; and 5) repeat the above steps if still more related controls need to be checked. Obviously, this is a very tedious and time consuming process.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to solve the above-noted in-efficiency in using the Help dialog box.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel Graphical User Interface (GUI) which includes embedded hyperlink help messages in a help message dialog box. The hyperlink help messages display information about why a display control may be deactivated, and when selected, automatically identify an appropriate GUI tab and display controls that are related to the deactivated display control.
Yet another object of the present invention is to keep the help message dialog box of the GUI active on the desk top, so that the user can easily return back to the help message dialog box and examine and/or select other embedded hyperlink messages that are related to the deactivated control.
To achieve these and other objects, the present invention provides a novel graphical user interface that includes hyperlinked help messages embedded within a help dialog. When a hyperlinked help message is selected, a computer program is executed which selects an appropriate tab to display the related control(s). The executed computer program also highlights a respective display control in the selected tab, that corresponds to the possible reason why the deactivated display control is deactivated.